Kolasi
by violad3r
Summary: Percy Jackson Poseidon is the son of a well respected pirate, so naturally when he tries to come aboard "The Kolasi" he thinks it'll be a piece of cake. He certainly hadn't been expecting his Captain to being blonde, tan and incredibly attractive with a very articulate system for her ship.
1. Chapter 1

_Percy_

I fastened my sword to my belt and let out a deep sigh, looking up at the gigantic ship before me. This was my dream. This ship had been all my father and I had hoped for my whole life and here I was and I wasn't even particularly excited. We had been chasing this stupid ship for years now, but every time we arrived in the port it was said to be docking at, it was gone. We always missed it by minutes.

I wanted to smack myself for finding it so unspectacular. My father, Poseidon, had been a captain of three ships in his life, one bigger, better and more famous than the other. The only ship that came from the bay, he had never set foot on, was _this_ one. The ' _Kolasi'._

I had to admit it was _big._ Like, huge. And I also couldn't help but envy the anonymous Captain, of this beauty of a ship. She was colossal, with huge white sails and over 100 crew members and I was about to be one of them.

Picking up my leather bag, that I had placed on the ground while admiring the ship, I made my way up the plank that led to the deck. A man placed a hand on my chest before I could make it all the way up though.

"Who're you?"

He was scruffy, like any pirate, with a strange cap on his head and a tattoo of an owl on his bare stomach. A bottle in one hand and a list of names in the other, which was strange, since I had never seen a ship that literally checked up on the people that entered, to this extent. Maybe that was why it had never been defeated or taken over? I made a mental note.

"I'm Perseus Poseidon Jackson. I'm looking for work."

The man stared at me like I was a lunatic. Then he burst out laughing. Whiskey sloshed out of his bottle, as he tried to calm himself down again. I scrunched up my eyebrows.

"So," he gestured around the ship. "You just decide to come _here_ and just _get a job_?"

"Yes?"

He stared at me again, a small smile playing at his lips. "Son, no man, no object, no animal has come aboard ' _The Kolasi'_ , without earning their way in first. Have you earned your way in?"

"I… um," I tried to think of something to say. I had been so sure that they would just hire me and here I was trying to find a reason as to why they _should_ hire me. I had never had this problem before: I would just say my name, try and get the word 'Poseidon' in there at some point and they would let me on. My father had been a well respected man in the bay.

"Look," he put a hand on my shoulder and started pushing me down the plank. "You come back here _next_ time we're _hiring_ and then you can tell me, what you've done in that time that could possibly make you worthy of our Captain's time. Ay?"

"Could I speak to the Captain?" I tried.

"Son, you really need to do your research," he muttered. "Have a splendid day!" he grinned and took a gulp from his bottle of beer. As soon as he was aboard the ship again, he kicked the plank off, so it fell into the water with a splash.

I felt my heart pounding with rage and annoyance. What the hell? I glared at the guy, who was picking his teeth with his long, dirty fingernails. What was this, a marketing job? I kicked a bucket that was standing by the pier and couldn't help but think how stupid I had been. My plan had been ridiculous. But at the same time, this ship was ridiculous.

It was the same game on every ship on the seven seas: you turn 18, you go aboard any ship in the harbour, you scrub the decks, until the Captain promotes you. Anyone can become the leader of something on the ship, even if it is scaring off mice or cooking or being on look out for the rest of your life. It's the life of the pirate – never resting, always ready for change. "Don't ever get comfortable in your position," is what my father used to say.

I started backing up, moving back to shore, scowling. My sack of underwear and apples suddenly felt heavier on my back. The only weapons I owned were a dagger and a small pistol, nothing to gamble my way onto the ship. It was basically hopeless.

Scanning the ship, I thought of any possible way of getting on but they all seemed ridiculous. Finally my eyes landed on something interesting. At the bow of the ship, right beneath the figurehead, I could see someone open a window. It was a fairly large window, and as I walked down the pier to get a better look, I could see that I could easily fit in.

They wouldn't make me walk the plank if I smuggled myself onto the ship, would they? I knew that ' _The Kolasi'_ was ruthless in battle, but the man I had just talked to just seemed like a good ol' pirate, protecting the name of his ship. Annoying, yes. Ruthless, no. Besides, I was the son of Poseidon. As soon as I got to explain myself, I would easily be welcome aboard. Who knows maybe I would even get a good place, on lookout or steering or something.

The ship was around one meter from the pier. With a quick glance around to make sure that no one was watching, I grabbed hold of the bottom of the figurehead and sighed with relief, when I realized that there was enough space around the other side for my fingers to get a good grip. Then I swung myself off the pier, trying to target the small window on the other side. This was when I would find out if it would work or not – I would have to let go, to swing myself over to the window. Taking a deep breath, I let go of the small ridge I had been clamping onto. For a short second I was sailing through the air, above the small, glistening waves beneath me, and then my finger grabbed onto the window sill.

Slowly I hoisted myself up through the window, stupid enough not to glance inside, before I tumbled through the opening and landed with a _bump_ on the wooden floor of _'The Kolasi'._ I groaned and rubbed my tailbone, before taking a look around.

The room was beautifully decorated, I had to give the Captain that. To be honest, I didn't think I had ever seen a quarter on a ship so beautiful. Normally, considering that the crew on ships was 99% men, the rooms were filled with garbage and chicken bones, mold and dust in every corner.

This room was made of glistening, black wood. On one side was a large bed, with white sheets. I noted that it had been secured to the walls in case of turbulence. Intelligent.

There was also a large table. The décor was held minimalistic, which was probably also a good idea, considering we were on a ship. On the wall hung a large clock. And when I say large, I mean _huge –_ at least two metres in diameter.

My eyes wandered over to the door, past a potted plant and a beautiful pair of tan legs.

One sec.

"Hello."

My eyes snapped up, my heart beating incredibly fast. I had been seen. I was going to get thrown off this ship before even having time to show my worth.

The speaker not only surprised me, but also confused me. It was a girl. She couldn't have been much older than me and she was _beautiful._ And she was only wearing underwear.

Her blonde hair was damp and she smiled mockingly at me, as she stood there in blue lace, twirling a dagger between her fingers.

"Can I help you?"

Her legs were lean and long, perfectly tanned. My eyes wandered up to the bra.

"Do you want me to cut your tongue out?" she asked, finally making me come back to reality. " _Can I help you with anything?_ "

She gracefully walked over to a small closet, which I hadn't seen before and got out a long-sleeved white shirt. As she put it on it fell over her knees and she turned it into a dress, by putting a belt around her waist.

"Um, yes. Sorry for the intrusion."

I got to my feet. "I'm Perseus Jackson. I'm looking for work."

She started securing her dagger to her belt and then grabbed a worn leather hat and put it on her head, before slipping into some black boots.

"And so… you crawled through my bedroom window?"

"Well, I was declined by one of your crew members and I thought –"

"You thought, 'Why don't I just smuggle myself onto the ship and then I'm sure they won't make me walk the plank, because my last name is Poseidon'. Hm?"

"Um…" she made it sound a lot less rational than it had been in the moment. "You know my father?"

"Yes. I never allowed him to set foot on my ship. Our families go way back, Perseus."

She seemed calm, smiling even, as if we had some inside joke, as she stood there and picked her nails with her dagger.

"Right… um, I wasn't… Did you just say that this was your ship?"

She smiled. "I did. And now I'm going to escort you off it. Come along."

"No, wait. Isn't there anything I can do?"

"No."

"How the hell is this your ship? How old are you?"

She opened the door to the deck. "I don't give out personal information to people who aren't my close-net crew. _William!_ "

I cringed, as the guy from before walked up to us with a grim face.

"Ai, Captain."

I almost choked. "You're the _Captain?_ "

The girl turned around, eyes stormy. She really had pretty eyes.

"Yes, I am. Why shouldn't I be?"

"You're just… so young."

She tilted her head and looked at me, eyes squinted. Then she smiled and I honestly couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. "William," she beckoned the man closer. "I was going to make you throw Mr… What was it?"

"Percy," I grumbled.

"Mr. Percy off the ship, but I would like you to escort him to Room 34."

William stared at her incredulously. " _Him?_ "

" _Yes._ "

I looked from one to the other and it would've been a lie if I said, that my heart wasn't beating a mile a minute. That sounded like some torture room. I was really starting to regret my decision of crawling onto this ship in the first place.

The girl stabbed a finger into my chest. "Welcome to ' _The Kolasi'_. You'll be working from 7:30 in the morning, until 22:00 at night, unless I give you other shifts. Since you are at the bottom of the food chain as of now, other crew members can swap shifts with you. We _do_ reward good work, so if you take it seriously you'll be able to work yourself upwards. My name is Captain Chase. You will be bunking in Room 34, with three other crew members. You'll be getting bed 39, whose former inhabitant we sadly had to throw off board."

She shrugged and sent me a sugary smile. "Respect is key to staying on board, Mr. Poseidon, so there will be no maiming or killing here. And _no,_ " with a swift movement she grabbed in under William's jacket and pulled out the half empty bottle of whiskey. "Drinking in the daytime. I'll make an exception today. You have been dismissed."

Then she turned around and walked up the stairs, leading to the higher deck. I stared after her. "No drinking?"

William grabbed my arm loosely and tugged me along.

"A pirate ship without drinking?"

"Discipline," William shrugged. "You're allowed to drink at night, kiddo."

I scoffed. William pulled me down some flights of stairs, until we reached a corridor marked _30._ It really was gigantic. The ship, I mean.

" _31, 32, 33… 34_."

He opened the door and pushed me inside.

"'Eyyo Will!"

Inside the tiny room were two bunk beds. Two of the beds were occupied by young boys, not much older than me. One of the boys looked Arabian, with black hair and dark eyes, but his smile was brilliant. The other looked more like Captain Chase, slightly Scandinavian, with pale skin, blonde curls and blue eyes. But Captain Chase had grey eyes, not blue.

"Shut up," William slammed the door behind him.

"'Ello you," the Arabian guy said.

"Hi. I'm new. I'm Percy."

"Nice."

There was a short silence. "I'm Asad. This is Olivier," Asad clapped Olivier on the back. He rolled his eyes. " _He doesn't speak very good English,_ " Asad leaned in and whispered this very loudly.

Olivier rolled his eyes again.

"Right. Which bunk is not occupied?"

"Doesn't really matter. We kind of just switch each night."

"Okay," I muttered, slightly confused by this ship and its crew members. I dumped my bag on the bottom bunk of the right bed, sighing. _'The Kolasi'_ was not what I had been expecting.

"How'd you get on board?" Asad asked. He was chewing on a straw of some sort and since he wasn't wearing a shirt, he exposed a scrawny upper body.

I rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands, tired. "Um… through the window."

Asad's grin turned into a sniggering laugh. "So did Leo."

"Who's Leo?"

Asad leaned forward on his bunk and spat out a part of the straw. "You're new, so I'm going to explain this ship a bit to you. I've been here for, like, a month and I'm just starting to get it now."

His eyes had turned more serious now, beckoning me to listen. "So, we're on floor 3, which means that we're in corridor 30. Everyone on this floor is marked as endangered, simply because no one knows us. We've been told you have to be on this ship for _7 years_ before the Captain starts trusting you. And as long as you're here it means you're not to be trusted, because they don't know you and you're a newbie."

It was a bit hard to follow along, but I got the principle. Asad didn't even ask.

"There's only 8 newbies at a time. 4 here, 4 in the other room. The Captain only takes in a new newbie every time an old one either gets ranked up or dies or something. And as far as I know all the newbies have tried smuggling themselves onto the ship… I don't really get it to be honest. No one does."

"So… she basically _waits_ for people to crawl onto the ship?"

"Yeah."

"It sounds a bit…"

"Grotesque?"

I shrugged. "And why is the Captain… a girl?"

Asad's eyes lit up and I realized that I wasn't the only one who found our Captain incredibly attractive. "It's insane, right? I've heard she's only _eighteen_. I'm sixteen! I could be Captain of a huge ship like this too in two years."

I scanned Asad from the bottom up and couldn't really imagine him _ever_ being a captain of _anything,_ but I didn't say that.

"No one knows how she became captain. At least no one in corridor 30."

"Right."

"And I wouldn't try to hit on her. That's why Octavian was thrown off the boat in the middle of the Pacific… you're sleeping in his bed. Let's hope it's not a bad omen."

I tried to ignore that. "When do I start work?"

"When's your shift? Probably the same as ours?"

"From 7:30 to 22:00."

Asad's jaw clapped open. "Man," he stared at me. "She must _really_ hate you."


	2. Chapter 2

Finding out that Captain Chase had given me a shift five hours longer than the others, was annoying. Not surprising, but annoying. I should've known the moment she mentioned her not particularly liking my family and then deciding to keep me on her ship, that it would mean bad things. Asad found it incredibly humorous and I was very close to punching him in the face numerous times. It turned out that he was actually quite the cocky asshole.

Luckily I got to meet Leo Valdez, my other bunk mate later on in the night. He came staggering in at 2:00 in the morning, turned on the light and demanded that we celebrated my arrival. We were on the same shifts the next morning and I must say, Leo Valdez was one of the few, blessed people who doesn't seem to get a hangover. Or he's just really good at covering it up. Or he secretly doesn't drink.

So there we were, scrubbing the hallways of this gigantic ship and I couldn't help but think how much this sucked.

"Man, I had bigger dreams too. I'm a mechanic," Leo pointed to himself with a soap-covered thumb. " _I_ have potential for this ship, but Captain Chase just needs to notice that."

He shrugged. "A few years of scrubbing, I'll be at the very top. Maybe even Captain."

"No offense, Leo, but…"

"None taken, Poseidon. A boy can dream," he scowled at me.

"I'd prefer if you call me Jackson. Poseidon sounds so… posh."

Leo wrinkled his nose. "It _does._ That's terrible."

Lunch on the Kolasi was good. Not bad, not amazing, but good. Today it was chicken breast, with potatoes and gravy, which was pretty standard for a hand-eaten, oily pirate meal. I was surprised though, when Captain Chase stepped out wearing a blue tunic and the same boots as yesterday, cut off a piece of chicken and returned to her chambers. Her hair was piled on the top of her head, secured with an Asian looking hair pin. Not your typical captain outfit, but I was starting to get used to the differences of this ship in comparison to others.

" _Hooh!_ She's spicy," Leo grinned and popped a potato in his mouth. "You know what Jackson, I've always thought that Captain Chase looked _strikingly_ like this girl I snagged once at a celebration… Hm, she was lovely."

I nodded, taking an awkward sip of my red wine.

"Damn… I think her name was Callie. Or Carrie?" he sat in complete silence for a good minute, with scrunched up eyebrows, staring into the stars. "Hm," he then shrugged. "Who cares? Hand me the whiskey, Jase?"

 _Jase_ was one of the guys from the other room. His proper name was Jason and I was pretty sure he hated me. All he did was glare at me, from morning to night and we hadn't even spoken one word together. He didn't seem like someone I wanted to hang out with.

"Cheer up, you idiot," Leo slapped the back of his head and Jason glared at him, but didn't say a word.

Leo leaned in, his mouth close to my ear. "He hates all newbies. He's been in corridor 30 for like four years now, it's insane. Everyone else he came here with have already been ranked up. Just ignore him and he'll ignore you."

"Um, okay."

"No, but seriously," I watched as gravy dribbled over Leo's lips, which he gushed down with a jug of alcohol. "He's _insane_ in battle."

"So am I," I said, feeling a bit disappointed. I felt like I would never get to show how good I was and until I did that, no one would believe me.

"Sure," Leo nodded enthusiastically, but I could tell he didn't take me seriously. I huffed, grabbed a bottle of whiskey and excused myself from the lively dinner. To be honest, I wasn't really in the mood for lots of drunk pirates. I'd rather just be drunk by myself.

I walked up some stairs, until I reached the emergency boats. I stepped onto an empty, overturned bucket and hoisted myself into the boat. It was hanging at least five feet from the ground and swung dramatically, as I tried to get into a comfortable position.

So there I laid, staring up at the stars, taking an occasional sip of whiskey, with the calming sounds of waves and laughter lulling me to sleep.

When I woke up it was still night time. And I was freezing. The bottle was empty and I had a grogging headache. It took me a moment to realize where I was and it took me another couple of minutes of staring at the slowly sinking moon, before I was able to prop myself up on one elbow. The boat shook on its hinges, as I looked over the rim, down onto the deck. It looked empty and the sound of the rest of the crew was gone. Groaning, I realized what an idiot I had been – my shift probably started in a couple hours and I would have to work with an extreme hangover and aching back.

Carefully, I swung my legs over the side of the boat and jumped down, almost tripping over the bucket I had used to climb up earlier. Taking a few wobbly steps, I made my way to the dining table. It was completely empty and clean.

I rubbed my eyes with my hands and let my eyes focus on the lit up staircase, that led down to the corridors. The lantern hanging above the entrance kept flickering on and off. I glanced around, a little confused that there was no one working a night shift. I staggered towards the light and it was as though the longer I walked, the further away the lantern looked. It was shaking violently now, moving in zigzags before my eyes.

I stopped and slowly it waving in front of me. I stared at it as hard as I could and finally it came into focus. "Jesus Christ," I muttered.

Another step and everything started from the top. I closed my eyes and plopped down on the floor below me, cradling my head in my hand, rubbing my temples. Focusing on the sounds around me, I heard the waves crashing into the sides of the boat, the _eek-eek_ of the lantern dangling on rusty hinges. My own teeth chattering. And then there was a song. It sounded almost haunting, a quiet lullaby, somewhere to my left.

My eyes snapped open and I slowly got to my feet, gripping onto the railing for support. My feet seemed to know the way, they followed the song, until it got louder. Finally I could hear every verse, every word and I realized that I recognized it.

Without meaning to I started humming along, as I shuffled forward. Finally she came into view. As beautiful and serene as I remembered her.

Blonde locks flew around her face, getting caught in her lashes and lips. Her eyes were wide open and she was staring out onto the waves. She must've been freezing, in her regular over-sized white shirt ensemble. I took another step and the floorboards creaked. Her head turned. I realized that there were trails of tears down her cheeks.

"Everyone has gone to bed," she muttered, taking a deep breath and turning away from me.

"I know," I slurred. "I fell asleep in the rescue boat."

She scrunched up her eyebrows. "You better not be drunk tomorrow."

"When is tomorrow?"

"A few hours."

"Don't you ever sleep?" I was very close to her now, I could smell her lemony scent. I stared down onto the waves, leaning further over the railing than I normally would. She placed a hand on my chest and pushed me back onto the deck. I hadn't noticed that my feet had left the ground.

"No one functions without sleep, Mr. Poseidon."

"Jackson."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't call me Mr. Poseidon. I'm," I winked at her and gave a cocky laugh. It was meant as a joke, but I don't think she found me particularly amusing. " _Mister Jackson_."

She shook her head and turned back to the waves. "You should go to bed, Mr. Jackson."

"Tell me your name."

"As you captain, I'm telling you to go to your quarters and sleep."

Her picture blurred and I stumbled. Then I leaned over the railing and vomited. When I was done I kept staring down at the water, not knowing what to do. I got the odd urge to cry. "Please tell me your name," I muttered. "Please."

"Why do you want to know it?" I was surprised by how kind her tone was. Even a bit sympathetic.

"Because… You're special."

I let my arm dangle over the ridge and felt the occasional spray of salt water. I realized that I had no control over what I was saying. Go to bed, Percy. Just leave. I turned my face, so that my cheek was laying on the cold metal and looked at her. She was looking down at me, with her steel grey eyes and her lips were puckered and they looked so nice and soft.

"Special?"

I nodded. "You're a female captain. And not only that you're the female captain of the most famous ship sailing the seven seas. You're impressive. And scary."

"Well, you need to be scary when you're a young female captain," she smiled carefully. I was surprised she hadn't thrown me off the ship yet.

"I'm sure everyone would listen to you even if you weren't scary."

"Why?"

"Because of your intensity. You're so intense."

She scrunched up her eyebrows and I felt nauseous again. My face was burning, but I couldn't feel my feet from the cold. Looking down at them, I realized they were bare. Why were my feet bare?

"What's your name?" I tried again.

"You don't have the right to know."

"Why?" I sounded like a four-year-old trying to find out why I wasn't getting the lollipop I wanted.

"A name is a very personal thing."

"No, it's not."

"Go to bed, Perseus."

"Percy."

"What?"

"My name is Percy."

She leaned against the railing and cocked her head to the side. "Percy Jackson?"

I nodded, grinning. "Yeah."

We stood in silence for a bit. Her tears had dried, but I didn't care about the reason why she had been crying. That was personal. I just wanted her name.

"I should probably head to bed," I said.

"Yeah. Probably," she sounded almost sad. My heart jumped.

"I could stay."

"I can manage on my own."

"I know."

She smiled. "Goodnight."

I took a step and although the world swayed, I managed to take another. "'Night."

Three steps later, I heard my name being called. "Percy?"

"Mm?"

"It's Annabeth."

"What?"

"My name."

I looked at her in silence. "Annabeth. It suits you."

She sent me a remorseful smile. I was still seeing her face in my mind, as I practically tumbled down the stairs to Corridor 30.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm not usually smooth with women, although I've had my fair share of girls. My usual plan is to just start talking to them and buy them a drink or five and at some point we'll leave together. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's a dirty pirate trick, I know, but to be honest I don't see it as "taking advantage" of a girl, since usually I'm just as drunk as she is.

With Annabeth, my hot, blonde female Captain, it's different. Maybe it's just the thought that she's a captain, that is extremely attractive to me, or maybe it's her lean legs or her eyes, that always seem to know what you're thinking. She's just so confident and oozes out this aura of seductiveness, in an incredibly different way from any other girl I've ever been interested in.

So considering that I'm not particularly good with women, I wasn't all too mortified when I thought about our last conversation. Sure, I had said some idiotic stuff, but she knew that I had been drunk and she hadn't seemed to fazed by it – by what I could remember.

These were the thoughts I had when I left my cabin toilet at 7:00 o'clock the morning after, with the taste of vomit in my mouth and a pounding headache. Leo was sticking his dirty feet into some boots and grinned widely when he saw me. "Hey, man. Where'd you hang around last night? I didn't even hear you come in."

I rubbed my temple and almost told him to just shut up. His regular voice was too loud. "I fell asleep."

Luckily he didn't ask much else to that, probably because he had experienced things way worse and more dramatic than I had in department drinking and drugs. He just nodded and jumped up. Asad was still fast asleep and Olivier was staring at me through the squinted eyes. The guy freaked me out. I had found out that he was half Russian, half Norwegian and that he had been on a ship in Europe, close to the shores of Spain and Portugal before coming here. He had gotten onto the ship by crawling through one of the portholes and living in the basement off of the apple-storage for three weeks, before someone found him and placed him in Corridor 30.

I followed Leo out of the door and up the stairs to the deck. The sunlight was harsh and I squinted my eyes shut. "Tartarus," I muttered.

"What?" Leo looked at me. He was wearing a striped shirt and a bandana around his head and he looked like an old, Spanish grandma. The only difference was his gun that was sticking out of his back pocket. I almost smiled at the thought of him fighting with that thing in that outfit.

"What?"

"What'd you just say?"

"Just something my father used to say," I grumbled. Why did he have to question everything today? I wasn't exactly in the mood for talking, since I had a massive hangover.

"Tartarus," Leo chuckled. "New vocab."

"Hm."

My eyes finally adjusted to the light and I scanned around the boat. It was pretty empty, since we were relatively early for our shift. It was supposed to start at seven, but most didn't turn up until twenty minutes past. My eyes landed on Annabeth, who was standing in front of her cabin, sharpening her dagger. When she looked up, I waved.

She completely ignored me. My cheeks heated up.

"LOL," Leo muttered.

"What?"

"Laugh out loud," he grinned at me. "Something my father used to say."

I rolled my eyes.

The sun came up properly around thirty minutes later and forty minutes later, the deck was scrambling with men. William and Willem (who I had found out were brothers) stampeded past, each with a hard-boiled egg in their hand. Annabeth was standing by the stern, drawing something with a feather and ink. Jase kept crawling up and down the ladder, leading up to the lookout post and yelling things at everyone, which he was very good at.

I kept staring at him, without noticing so. "He doesn't fit in here," I thought aloud.

Leo looked up from his map-drawing. I was supposed to be sorting apples from oranges from carrots into three separate boxes.

"Who, Jase?"

"Yeah."

"He's not meant to be a pirate, I don't think. He seems much too sturdy."

"Yeah."

"You know his name's actually Jason, right? He hates it when people call him Jase."

"I know his name's Jason. Everyone calls him Jase though, right?"

"Maybe that why he's pissed 24/7," he shrugged. "Or maybe he misses his girlfriend."

"He has a girlfriend?"

"Uh huh. Name's Piper, I think. Octavian used to moan all the time about how much Jase talks about his girl at home."

I couldn't help but wonder how a guy like Jason got a girlfriend. Where would he meet her? Book club? Or because, he like, tried to kill her or something? I didn't see Jason as a guy who had many hobbies except being a killing-machine pirate. Maybe girls liked that nowadays?

"What happened to Octavian?"

"Captain Chase threw him off the boat. One morning at like, four am we just heard his begging for mercy and then a splash and when he was gone the next day, we all knew what had happened," Leo shrugged. "There were lots of rumours, but William said that he had tried hugging her from behind and then she had judo flipped him into the ocean. There was an island nearby, so I'm sure he survived it though."

I couldn't help but overlook his grin, while telling the story.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Dude," Leo looked at me, eyes serious. "Octavian was the most annoying guy ever. All he ever talked about was himself and how we deserved to be captain of this ship and blah. Everyone hated him. We celebrated for, like, three days after he was thrown off."

I didn't really have anything to say to that.

"Anyway, not many get thrown off the ship with no warning. Usually Captain holds a big ceremony, before making them crawl down the plank. It's hilarious."

"Sounds fun," I muttered.

Leo rolled his eyes. "You're being a fun sponge."

"I have a headache."

"Get over yourself, Jackson."

We scrubbed the deck, cleaned the sails, cut up new firewood, had a quick lunch break, where Leo got to take the rest of the day off. My shift went until 22:00 o'clock, so I was stuck washing the dishes, cleaning and securing weapons and sorting in the basement.

It was a bit of a surprise when Annabeth came walking down the stairs, basket of bananas in her hands.

"Hey," I said.

"Hello."

There was a short awkward silence, where she put down the basket. She turned around to leave again, but my hands were aching and my feet were blistered, so I wanted to make my short opportunity of pause last.

"Um," I muttered to get her attention, "I wanted to ask why it is that my shift is so much longer than the others?"

"Because you're new."

"But no one else had a shift this long. Ever," I protested.

She turned around and started looking through a box on the other side of the cluttered room and pulled out some ancient looking maps, which she started studying. I sighed, exasperated.

"You're really frustrating," I said and immediately regretted it. It was strictly forbidden to say something like that to your captain.

"You're really cocky and unintelligent."

I blinked. "Uh, okay."

She sighed and secured the maps between her belt and her shirt-dress, looking up at me through her lashes. "Look, Mr Jackson. Just because we had a little heart to heart yesterday night doesn't mean you can go around being a douche. You have to fulfill your job like everyone else does, without complaint. And you should really dig up some family history."

"Can't you just tell me?"

She didn't reply at first, but went back to digging through the basket behind her. Finally she pulled out a book.

"If you show this to anyone I'll stick a dagger in your throat," she handed me the book. "Now scram. Your shift's over."

I glanced at the ticking clock above the staircase and realized that it was only 19:00. "Thank you… Captain Chase."

She rolled her eyes and turned her back to me. I smiled to myself, before hurrying up the stairs.

I walked across the deck, thoughts rushing through my head. Did we really have a _heart to heart_ last night? What did that even mean? I also got the strange feeling that she spoke more to me than to the other newbies. Or was I completely mistaken?

I hurried down the stairs to Corridor 30 and was pleased to see that our room was empty. Sitting down on my bunk, I finally got to inspect the books cover.

It was leather bound and brown and on the front there was a big, golden _A.C._ Annabeth Chase? But the book looked too old to be hers. It was basically falling to pieces and it was covered in dust and cobwebs. I carefully opened the first page.

 _1897_

 _Athena Chase_

 _Private journal_

I felt a bit bad for reading this girls diary, which I interpreted to be someone in Annabeths family. Maybe her mother? Probably. Why on earth was Annabeth giving me her mother's old diary? My heart jumped excitedly. Somehow this felt a lot more intimate and forbidden than a lot of other things I had done in my life, which was weird. I was a pirate, for God's sake. But girls always made this huge deal out of not reading someone's diary and I had never goten to red one.

I turned the next page and quickly scanned through the words, although I found nothing of interest. Some of the words were faltered and missing and it seemed as though whole pages had been ripped out. I kept turning the pages, waiting for something interesting to pop out.

" _Annabeth must overtake my role once I die. I am worried for her. She is so very young, but she is beyond many standards of intelligence and charisma. I am positive that she will have a wonderful debut in this world. Although I can tell that she hides herself from me. She enjoys being on her own, will often leave the dinner parties, the brunches I organize for her. I think she respects me and that is good, but I would like to have a relationship to my daughter. She is special to me and my heart, but I am simply not very good at showing so."_

So it was her mother. I wondered what Annabeth had thought while reading this, for she must have read it, otherwise she wouldn't know to give it to me. I started getting the feeling that there was much more to this girl than she let on.

I turned another few pages, until I noticed a familiar name. Eagerly, I began reading.

" _Poseidon thought he could win over me, over us. He is obsessed with power and beauty, but he ought to know that often neither of these things come in handy. He must realize that the largest blessing for someone of mankind is a free and clever mind, open for possibilities. He is a fool for thinking that the humble village would prefer his fountain, over something so fine and practical as an olive tree. I give them a gift of time and practicality, he gives them decorations._

 _I have heard that he has a son with a young woman from the mainland, with the name Sally. I do hope that boy does not take after his father and that he never comes in contact with neither Annabeth nor Malcolm."_

I clap the book closed,. That was why she didn't like me? Because her mother had a problem with my father? That was just messed up. I would've thought that Annabeth was better than that. I was fuming, but I still opened the books back up. I wanted to find out who Malcolm was, so I went hastily through the diary. My father's name popped up a couple more times, so did Annabeth's, even mine, but the name Malcolm didn't seem to have any relevance to Athena again until the vry end of the journal.

" _17 of October 1903_

 _I have driven my son over the edge. Forever. I don't know what it is I do wrong, but it seems that I was just not meant to be a mother. I have failed my children completely. I don't deserve to see Annabeth anymore. She will be better off without me. I will join Malcolm in a place where we are safe and without sin."_

My eyes widened. This was the last diary entry. On the next page there was a letter, which I unfolded.

" _My dearest,_

 _I love you. I have never had this much faith in anyone._

 _Goodbye, my love."_

The note had been crumpled, before being stuck in here again. It felt wrong to have read this. Too personal. I don't think that Annabeth had had these entries in mind when she gave me the journal. It was still a bit confusing, but from what I could figure out, it seemed as though Malcolm had committed suicide and their mother, Athena Chase, had followed along, leaving Annabeth alone with a huge ship and a huge responsibility.

I thought of last night and I remembered that she had been crying. Today was the 18th of October. I huffed and leaned back against the swaying wall of the ship, closing my eyes. Maybe Annabeth was intimidating, but she was just a girl. And she was scared. She must be scared.

 _Although I can tell she hides herself from me._

Maybe Annabeth put on such a good show, such a good façade that no one realized what was actually going on in her mind. I felt the urge to go hug her and comfort her, but I didn't know if that was what she needed or what I needed.

I heard footsteps out in the hallway and quickly stuffed the book underneath my covers. The door opened and Leo peeked in.

" _Jackson?_ "

I forced a grin. "It is I."

"Are you _ditching work?_ "

"Nah, Captain let me leave."

"Well, _that_ is great! Because we're going to part-ay."

"But –"

"Yes, yes. No alcohol for you. You're going to watch while I get wasted."

"Great."

"Come on now," he cocked his head to the side and smiled his creepy smile. I got up slowly and followed him out the door, almost tripping as the boat lurched to one side.

"Woah," Leo laughed maniacally and I couldn't help but think that he had already had a couple drinks. "What was _that?_ "

I pushed past him and hurried up to deck. It had begun raining slightly and the waves around the boat were starting to act up. They were already a couple metres high, but they would have to get three metres higher before being able to threaten the gigantic ship. Still, they were already large enough to make the boat sway and shake uncontrollably.

Crewmembers started yelling stuff, especially when the rain started coming down heavier. Leo stumbled up the stairs, but I stopped him before he got to set foot on deck. "You're not coming up here drunk."

I was expecting him to protest, but he just shrugged and went back down. One less thing to worry about.

I hurried over to William, who was securing the rescue boats, so that they wouldn't fly off. "How serious is it?"

He glanced over the side of the boat. "Not too bad yet," he had to yell over the rain. "It's just coming out of no where."

"How big are the waves going to get?"

"Kid, I'm no fortune teller. Ask the captain."

I really didn't want to ask the captain, so I jogged over to Willem, who was standing on the other side of the boat. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

I couldn't help but feel a little stupid. I was supposed to be son of Poseidon for God's sake, and here I was having no idea what to do when the waters were acting up. Willem glanced down at me, maximizing my feeling of being useless.

He looked around the ship. "I think everything's been taken care of, lad. Just don't panic and make sure no newbies panic. Good?"

I nodded and decided to take a quick tour of the boat to see if there was really nothing I could take care of. It didn't seem as serious as it felt. Some crewmembers were still just lounging around, smoking cigars and laughing. I noticed Asad talking with Jason. Olivier was probably doing something with his strong, buff arms, like breaking wood to burn with his bare hands or something, although I couldn't see him anywhere.

I noticed that I was looking for a familiar blonde head of hair, without actually wanting to talk to her. Maybe I just wanted to see that she was alright, but I couldn't spot her anywhere. The ship lurched again, this time even more violently and I was thrown against the railing. The laughter from the men died and I saw Geoffrey, who was one of the older men on this ship, get up and look out to sea, worried.

I groaned and rubbed my head, which was pounding. Luckily I seemed to get off with a bump, no blood. I got to my feet and looked out to the ocean. The waves were growing and the ones that had seemed far away before were coming closer. I estimated them to be around seven metres and glancing at Geoffrey and Willem, they didn't seem to upbeat about it either.

Geoffrey walked hastily to the captain's cabin, but he didn't even have time to knock, before the door flew open. Annabeth stepped out on deck and jogged over to the railing to look out. She muttered something.

"We need everybody on deck!" she yelled out. I prayed that no one would look in our cabin and find Leo.

Thats when the waves started hitting. The boat tilted so violently that the ones who didn't hold on to the other side, slid all the way down and hit the rail on the opposite side. Most recovered quickly and started securing everything onto poles or brought them downstairs, so that no one would get hit on the head by a flying chair. Water flushed onto deck and the rain started coming down in waterfalls. I was drenched in seconds.

I noticed Annabeth beckoning me over. "Where is Mr Valdez?"

My heart started beating and I tried to send her a message with my eyes, to not ask after him so publically. Not that anyone was listening right now anyway.

"Percy, answer me!"

"I don't know!"

She grumbled something, but there wasn't much time for arguing.

"You called me Percy!" I yelled over the wind.

She sent me a glare.

I couldn't help but grin as I held on as tightly as I could. There wasn't much else to do now, except hold on. Everything had been brought downstairs and there were already three people pulling at the steering wheel. Annabeth looked grim.

"How long does a storm like this usually take?"

"It depends on many factors," she practically had to scream for me to understand her.

"I read the diary."

"You understand now?"

" _No!_ " I yelled. She looked at me, looking genuinely surprised.

"Seriously?"

"I don't care what your mother thought of my father!"

" _I do!"_

"Did your brother commit suicide?" To be honest, I wasn't expecting her to hear that. And to be honest, I wasn't really thinking in that moment.

Her eyes widened and she stared at me, in complete chock for a second.

"I'm sorry!" I tried. She didn't respond and for that short moment of chock, she didn't hold on tightly enough. A gigantic wave washed over the deck from the other side, tipping the boat. Her scream was drowned in salt water.

" _Annabeth!_ "

I reached down to grab her, my own hand slipping on the metal rail I was holding on to. _No, no, no, no_ , was all I could think. Then a hand grabbed onto mine and with all my remaining might, I pulled her back onto deck. We landed clumsily, her on top of me, both completely soaked from top to toe. She stared at me. Then she punched me in the nose.

"What the hell? I just –"

She leaned down and placed her lips on mine. The kiss tasted of blood and salt water and it was short and passionate. Then she got up and walked away, hands above her head as if to shield herself from the rain.

The ship landed on the sea with a bump, after being lifted over a huge wave, but I didn't get up. I just lied there and stared up, partly smiling, partly crying, with a blood nose and a bruised head. The rain was still pounding down, but for a short moment I almost enjoyed it. She really messed with my head.

I couldn't help but look around to see if anyone had seen it, but no one was giving me weird looks. I sighed in relief.

"Jackson, sit your ass down somewhere that's not in the middle of everything!" Willem yelled at me.

I nodded numbly and pushed myself to the side of the boat, where I sat and let the waves crash in over me until the storm had calmed down, a maniac smile plastered to my face.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't know why I didn't tell anyone. Well, to be specific I don't know why I didn't tell Leo. He had been asleep the entirety of the storm and had only woken up when I came in the next morning. It had taken all night for the sea to calm down and the first thing that everyone did the morning after was sleep. I told Leo everything that had happened, even the part with Annabeth punching me (I had to say that. My entire face was a bloody mess), but nothing about the kiss.

I was also kind of frightened that she regretted it. That she had only done it as thanks for saving her life and not because she actually wanted to. Why were girls so complicated?

I stood in front of the cracked mirror in our little bathroom for good and well twenty minutes, before washing my face and brushing my teeth. It was seven thirty in the morning and Leo was the only one who seemed fit to work.

My nose and eye was a little swollen. There was a purple bruise beneath my left eye, on which carefully pressed two fingers and winced. That girl hit hard. Gently I washed away the blood and then splashed some cold water in my face. I even had the energy to brush my teeth, but only for a moment, then I dropped by toothbrush and headed to bed.

Leo woke me at one in the afternoon. I was still groggy, but he pulled me upstairs for some lunch, which I was thankful for. I hadn't realized how hungry I was before I saw the scrambled eggs and slices of meat, which smelled delicious. I plopped down on a seat next to Geoffrey.

"Good morning," he grinned. He looked just as tired as I felt. "What in the name of God happened to you?"

"A pole flew into my face last night," I lied.

Geoffrey laughed out loud. "What a night, huh?"

He was a lot nicer now, it seemed. Maybe everyone was just relieved that the boat was still in one piece. And that we were still in one piece. It was quite surprising that we had not lost a single man, although a couple had ended in sick bay.

"Pirate life," I commented, to which he chuckled. He turned to mind his own business after that, which I was thankful for, since I was still not completely awake and my face hurt.

At some point Annabeth came out of her cabin, looking just as tired as everyone else. She still looked good though. I felt like it was impossible for her not to look good.

When she spotted me and my swollen face I swore I could've seen her turn away, smiling. Finally she turned back around and stood up at the end of the table. "I would like everyone to get back to work after this meal!"

Her words were met with lots of complaints, which she was probably expecting, because she just rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. But after last night there's even more to be done and we can't start slacking. But you guys can take your time eating. You guys have until three o'clock, then I want to see some progress!"

She eyed every single one of us, as if making sure we had heard her. "Mr Jackson, I'd like to speak to you for a moment."

She said it so casually that I almost didn't react. "Me?" I whispered to Leo.

"Yes, you dumbass."

I got up clumsily and followed her to her cabin.

"Close the door," she said.

I hadn't been in here since I climbed on board a little over two weeks ago. Gods, my life has changed since then. I hadn't even realized that I had really only known Annabeth for two weeks. Weird.

"Have you gotten that looked at?" she nodded towards my face, leaning against her desk. I noticed maps and drawings sprawled all over the expensive looking table. Her bed wasn't made and her cupboard stood wide open, with clothes thrown all over the floor. Either she had had a massive fashion fit, which I doubted, or the storm had taken it's toll on her room too.

"No."

"You should."

"It doesn't hurt that bad."

"Hm," she looked at me, chewing on her lip. "This has to stop."

"What?"

"Us."

"There's something going on between us?"

"No."

She sighed.

"I don't know why I kissed you. I hate you."

"No you don't."

She glared at me. "But I should."

"No, you shouldn't," she opened her mouth to say something, but I interrupted her. "Look, Annabeth, I know this is wrong, okay? You're my captain and I'm new, but your mother isn't here and my father isn't here and they have _nothing_ to do with us."

"I barely even know you."

"Then get to know me."

"I don't even know why I like you. You're annoying and you're unintelligent."

"Stop making excuses."

She turned her back on me and poured herself a glass of water.

"We've spoken _three_ times, Percy. That's not love! That's not even really friendship!"

"It's attraction. Okay? I feel attracted to you and honestly, I don't know why," I was seriously surprising myself with my great arguments. Usually I would just back down in an argument like this, but I realized that I wanted her. Badly. "But it's not something I can stop. You're beautiful and intelligent and clever and probably nice in some situations too."

"I am nice," she grumbled.

I hadn't realized that we were incredibly close now, only centimetres apart.

"I'm sure you are."

"Nobody finds out," she said.

I nodded.

"Ever."

I nodded again.

And finally she grabbed my hair and pulled me closer, placing her lips on mine. At first I was unsure what exactly it was she wanted, but she made it pretty clear. Our lips only parted for a short moment as she pulled her shirt over her head, so she was in just underwear. I had a moment to appreciate her body, before she pulled my shirt over my head and kissed me again. I lifted her up, so that she was straddling my hips and placed her on the desk. I was about to lay her down, when she grabbed up and stopped my hand.

"Don't be a Seaweed Brain."

"What?" I asked, out of breath.

"We're not going to make out on my plans and drawings and stuff," she jumped down from the desk and pulled me over to her bed. "Better," she smiled and pushed me onto the bed.

We kissed for a bit longer, before I broke it off. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

"Shut up," she muttered.

"Seaweed Brain?"

"That's what you are," she looked at me. Her eyes were shining and she was smiling broadly. Didn't seem like she regretting this yet.

I had never seen her this... free. She looked genuinely happy, which made my heart do a double take.

"Then what are you?"

"I'm wise and kind and gentle and –"

I pushed her off me and onto the bed. She laughed. "Don't get ahead of yourself," I muttered.

"Mmm," she giggled, as I started kissing her neck.

"Wise Girl."

"What?" she laughed. I was propped up on one elbow now, above her.

"That's your name."

"You are very uncreative."

I shrugged. She pulled me in for another kiss, but was interrupted by a banging at the door. We both flinched.

"Captain Chase?"

She stared up at me, eyes wide. "Crap," she muttered.

"One moment!"

She pushed me off her and started getting dressed as quickly as possible. Luckily she just had to pull her shirt over her head and wrap a belt around her waist. I handed her a hair tie. As she looked in the mirror, she put a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. Her hair was a complete mess, especially in the back. She quickly bound it up with the elastic I had given her.

"Get in the cupboard!"

"What?"

" _Percy, get in the cupboard."_

I lifted my hands in defeat. "Ay, ay captain."

I hurried over to the cupboard and closed the doors after me. Luckily it was relatively spacious and as Annabeth went to the door to let in whoever wanted something, I had time to realize what had just happened. Gods.

I did barely know her. But I knew that I was damned attracted to her. So much, that I wanted to spend every second of my time with her. Was that love? How on earth was that possible? Were you able to fall in love with someone so quickly? I grinned to myself. Apparently, yes.

"Oh, hello William."

I peeked out through the crack between the two cupboard doors. William stepped inside. I realized my shirt was still laying by the desk and swore underneath my breath, but Annabeth seemed to notice as well and kicked it under the table. I sighed in relief.

"Where is Mr Jackson?" William wondered aloud.

"He left," Annabeth said curtly. It was funny to see her turn from the Annabeth I kind of knew, to the Annabeth everyone else knew. The Annabeth who was captain.

"Ay," William said. "I wanted to inform you that there is a ship coming up from behind, but they seem to be waving a white flag. Do we let them pass?"

"Um," Annabeth sent me a worried glance, which her companion didn't notice. "Let me come out and look at it."

"Ay."

"Is everyone back to work?"

"Yes."

"Good."

There was a short, tense silence between them, before Annabeth led the way out the door. William stood for a moment and scanned the room, eyebrows scrunched up. I held my breath until he finally left the cabin.

"Wow," I muttered. Slowly I stepped out of the cupboard and slid my shirt over my head.

 **A/N Was this rushed? I dunno man. I just really want them together quickly, because I love them together lol. Anyway, I still hope you enjoyed.**


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